Testimonial from David Fleyrat, Director of the Bouchard Clinic, who contacted the campus to manufacture connectors for protective masks for his nursing and nursing assistant staff.
The Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers continues to actively participate in the collective support effort by putting its skills at the service of healthcare workers.
It is responding to requests from numerous establishments in the region: university hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, the Red Cross, associations providing assistance to people, etc. A batch of more than 1,200 visors has already been delivered in recent days.
Philippe Collot, Campus Director, reiterates:
We are pleased to contribute to the collective effort.
After the visors, connectors...
David Fleyrat explains "We contacted Mr. Collot through one of our doctors who has a son who is an Arts et Métiers engineer. I myself am a biomedical engineer.
Two weeks ago, I had the idea for the masks, but not the tools to design and manufacture them. A phone call with the campus director was all it took to find the technical solution."
A phone call with the campus director was all it took to find the technical solution.
Indeed, the Decathlon brand donated 12 Easybreath diving masks to the clinic.
A medical device on an existing product
This type of diving mask, made from a silicone membrane that fits perfectly to the face, is completely watertight. By repurposing it from its original use, adding a connector and an antibacterial, antiviral medical filter, this device becomes more than 99.99% effective at protecting the airways from airborne Covid-19 germs.
It was this connector that was custom-made at the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Aix-en-Provence, as David Fleyrat points out , to adapt "a medical device to an existing product that can be cleaned, disinfected, and does not need to be sterilized."
16 items have just been delivered to the clinic.
A calibrated and optimized prototype
Before launching production on a 3D printer, a calibrated and optimized prototype was modeled from a free file downloaded from the sharing site Thingiversesharing site, in order to fit the mask's mouthpiece and ensure maximum airtightness
The connectors were 3D printed using PET polymer filaments, a highly resistant material commonly found in plastic bottles.
David Fleyrat concludes: "I make it a point of honor to protect my employees who are in direct contact with Covid-19 patients. Equipped with these masks, we consider them to be genuine PPE. They are very comfortable. These masks are used during care for between 10 minutes and half an hour and provide very effective protection for the eyes, facial skin, and airways."
